Reborn in the 1970s — Married a Proud Rough Man

Mrs. Xie ignored him and told Jie Jingchen and Jie Jinghun to leave. With just the two of them left in the kitchen, three fans blasted them with air, but it did nothing to cool the resentment in Mr. Xie’s heart.

”Alright, the children have left. Now, you can tell me. How have I been unfair?” Mrs. Xie asked, looking at Mr. Xie placidly.

”What about Jing Er?” Mr. Xie wanted to advocate for him. It was the heart of a parent—the more his wife overlooked a child, the more he wanted to protect him.

”The machinery factory assigned him a house.” With that one sentence, Mrs. Xie made Mr. Xie’s resentment knot even tighter.

”State Security also assigned Jing San a house,” Mr. Xie reminded her.

Mrs. Xie stared at him with cold eyes until he grew flustered. ”Jie Jianguo, are you for real? Must you trample all over Jing San just for Jing Er’s sake?”

”Yan Qiu, that’s going too far. I’m not trampling on Jing San. I just... you’re truly being unfair.” Jie Jianguo’s reasoning was simple. He had no objection to her giving the courtyard houses to Jing Si and Jing Wu. After all, they were her sons. But if she was going to give one to Jing San, she had to give one to Jing Er as well. Between those two, she had to be impartial.

Mrs. Xie said haughtily, ”They’re my courtyard houses. I’ll give them to whomever I please. As for your house from the machinery factory, you can let whoever you want live in it. Who you ultimately leave it to is your right as well. I guarantee I won’t interfere.”

”Yan Qiu,” Jie Jianguo said, his face a mask of exasperation.

”Jie Jianguo, don’t lecture me about fairness. Don’t you have any idea why I won’t give a house to Jing Er? Let’s not even get into the matter of how the wives they married treated Jing Qi. The moment Jing Er married Lin Yaru, he forfeited any right to it,” Mrs. Xie said.

Jie Jianguo fell silent. When he saw Mrs. Xie stand up to leave, he said, ”Even if Jing Er hadn’t divorced Xu Chunyan, you still wouldn’t have given them the southern house.”

”That’s right, I wouldn’t have,” Mrs. Xie admitted without hesitation.

”What about Xiao You?” Having failed to secure anything for his son, Jie Jianguo tried to advocate for his only grandson.

Mrs. Xie took a deep breath, fixing her gaze on Mr. Xie, a faint mockery crystallizing in her eyes. ”Xu Chunyan once said that I’m not Xiao You’s real grandmother, so I have no right to discipline him.”

Mr. Xie’s eyes widened, his expression one of pure astonishment. ”When did Xu Chunyan ever say that to you?”

Mrs. Xie raised her eyes, her gaze dripping with scorn, then turned and strode out of the kitchen.

Mr. Xie’s expression darkened, tinged with a hint of defeat. He slammed a fist on the table in frustration.

’Qiao Yanqiu was just too domineering, so much so that the pressure on him was immense. The male chauvinism, coddled into him by Zhang Hongyan, completely evaporated in Qiao Yanqiu’s presence.’

’His prestige as the head of the household, utterly swept away in front of his children, leaving him with no face at all.’

Jie Jingchen and his wife, Jie Jinghun and his wife, and Jie Jingshan were all sitting in the courtyard. Jie Jingchen held a cattail fan, fanning Qin Mei. Mrs. Xie looked at the five of them, an elegant smile on her face as she said to Jie Jingchen, ”Fourth Son, Fifth Son is back. Tell him to come see me.”

”Mom, I’m back.” A dusty and grimy Jie Jingjue lifted his bicycle over the threshold, then pushed it to where the bikes were kept. ”Mom, you were looking for me?”

’Speak of the devil,’ Mrs. Xie thought to herself.

Qin Mei knew exactly where he’d come from just by looking at him. Jie Jingjue wasn’t enthusiastic about his regular job, but he had an incredible talent for renovation. He had an active mind, was quick to adapt, and possessed a uniquely discerning eye—he was prime material for the business.

’With just a little guidance, Jie Jingjue could probably make a real name for himself in the renovation industry.’

”I’ll go get you a bowl of pumpkin and mung bean soup.” Qin Mei was sharp. Jing Wu was working for her, and she didn’t want him to get heatstroke in this sweltering weather.

Jie Jinghun looked at Qin Mei, curious. ’This is so out of character for her.’

”Thanks, Fourth Sister-in-law,” Jie Jingjue said. With so many people around, he didn’t rush to give Qin Mei a report on his work for the day.

Jie Jinghun was left speechless.

’Those two are definitely up to something behind our backs.’

”I’ll go,” Jie Jingchen volunteered, handing the fan to Qin Mei. Their father was still in the kitchen and hadn’t come out yet. If Qin Mei went in now, she’d probably end up as a target for his anger.

Jie Jingjue sat down on a stone stool. Mrs. Xie walked over, staring at him in astonishment. ”Fifth Son, what is all this?”

’Is this still my neat-freak, swaggering, blockhead of a son?’

Jie Jingjue dusted himself off. He had washed up briefly before coming home; otherwise, he would have looked even worse.

”Jing Wu, where have you been?” Jie Jinghun’s sharp eyes noticed the cracks on Jing Wu’s hands.

Qin Mei had only asked Jie Jingjue to take some time to supervise the construction now and then. But he had developed a real interest in it, spending all day at the renovation site. After watching for a while, he couldn’t resist getting his hands dirty. Before long, he was doing the work himself and had sent the hired workers away. Qin Mei didn’t have the heart to crush his newfound enthusiasm, so she just let him do as he pleased with the renovation.

He had a tendency to work in fits and starts. It was hard for him to muster any passion for a job he didn’t enjoy.

But now, Jie Jingjue had found his calling. He was so motivated he started leaving the house before daybreak.

Jie Jingchen brought over a bowl of pumpkin and mung bean soup. Jie Jingjue took it, drained it in a few gulps, and handed the empty bowl back to Jie Jingchen. ”Fourth Brother, another bowl, please.”

Jie Jingchen thought, ’This guy’s really pushing it.’ He was about to tell him to get it himself, but when he saw Qin Mei reach for the bowl, Jie Jingchen’s brow twitched. He snatched the bowl first and went back to the kitchen to get another serving.

Only after downing two bowls did Jie Jingjue feel his parched throat ease.

Jie Jingjue summoned his courage, looked at his mother, and said, ”Mom, I’ve made a decision. I’m going to quit my job.”

Mrs. Xie looked at Jie Jingjue, puzzled. She had spent a fortune to buy that job for Jing Wu. His attitude at work always left her speechless; if it weren’t for the money, his supervisor probably would have laid him off long ago.

”Jing Wu, you need to think this through carefully,” Jie Jinghun cautioned.

Jie Jingjue wiped the sweat from his brow and said solemnly, ”I have. I’ve given it a lot of thought.”

”Quitting is for the best. Let someone who actually needs the job have it. You could even consider it his one good deed,” Jie Jingchen said. The implication was clear: Jie Jingjue was just occupying a spot and not doing any work.

”If you don’t work, who’s going to support you? Are you expecting me to?” Mrs. Xie asked, giving Jie Jingjue a sidelong glance.

”Mom, that job doesn’t even pay enough for me to support myself. If you and Dad didn’t supplement my income every month, I’d be starving,” Jie Jingjue said, sidling up to his mother. He hugged her arm and rested his head on her shoulder.

”Don’t lean on me, you’re filthy.” Mrs. Xie’s face was a picture of disgust, yet she didn’t push him away. A flash of heartache crossed her eyes, but her tone was laced with ridicule. ”You used to be wrapped up in the arms of women; now you’re rolling around in a mud pit.”

”Mom, I’m your son. You can’t be grossed out by me.” Jie Jingjue playfully nuzzled his grimy head against his mother’s neck.

”You were born to collect a debt from me.” Mrs. Xie caught the smell of cement dust on him, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face.

”Mom, I’ve decided! I’m going to be a renovation contractor,” Jie Jingjue announced.

”Renovation work is exhausting, and the pay isn’t stable,” Shen Qing pointed out.

In this era, renovation work wasn’t a popular trade, not even as respected as being a bricklayer. If Qin Mei weren’t from a future time, she too would have tried to talk him out of it.

”Shen Qing, don’t try to change his mind. He’ll never grow up if he doesn’t experience some hardship.” Mrs. Xie neither supported nor opposed the idea. As far as she was concerned, Jing Wu was just acting on a whim.

When it came to Jing Wu, Mrs. Xie had always taken a hands-off approach.

Jie Jingjue was satisfied. He stood up, stretched his back, and said, ”I’m going to take a shower.”

”Wait a moment.” Mrs. Xie stopped him. She took out a document, placed it on the stone table, and handed a pen to Jie Jingjue. ”Sign it and put your thumbprint on it.”

”What’s this?” Jie Jingjue lazily unfolded it. The moment he read the words, he snapped to attention. His eyes darted from face to face before finally landing on his mother. ”Mom,” he whined, ”why am I the one who has to move again?”

”Because you’re not married,” Mrs. Xie replied, delivering the finishing blow.

Jie Jingjue wanted to curse. ’Am I a criminal just because I’m not married?’ ”I don’t want the southern house! I don’t want to live next to Second Brother and his wife!”

More importantly, he didn’t want to be anywhere near Xiao You.

”Your second brother’s family has already moved out,” Mrs. Xie reminded him through clenched teeth.

”But what if they move back?” Jie Jingjue asked.